Archive for December, 2004

UNC officials are doing away with a prestigious award honoring women on campus. The award was named after a prominent woman in the university\’s history. Historians say in 1875 Cornelia Phillips Spencer rang the South Building bell marking the re-opening of the university. But there are also documents linking Spencer to white supremacy. That\’s why some say her legacy is best left in history books and not on the name of an award for modern women. WUNC\’s Leoneda Inge reports.

The 101st anniversary of the Wright Brothers\’ First Flight is today. It\’s a much more humble celebration than last year\’s event that marked the centennial. WUNC\’s Eric Hodge spoke with Tom Crouch from the Air and Space Museum about this year\’s celebration and what happened to Wilbur and Orville after that first flight in Kitty Hawk.

One of the world\’s top personal computer companies will soon build one of its largest plants in the Triad. But where? Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High Point, and surrounding counties have all come up with multi-million dollar incentives packages to try to lure Dell to their doorsteps. This comes after the state already approved $242 million in incentives for the computer giant- the largest deal ever offered by the state. But some say the competition between communities to get Dell is an unnecessary fight because wherever the jobs are- people will come. WUNC\’s Leoneda Inge reports.

Diesel powered trucks generate a lot of air pollution- and many truckers make matters worse by letting their engines run while sitting still at rest stops. But a new technology aims to reduce engine idling. So-called truck stop electrification has the backing of environmental and energy officials. The new technology already is being used at one North Carolina truck stop and is being installed at another. But it isn\’t clear yet just how popular the new technology is with truckers. WUNC\’s Rusty Jacobs reports.

In a lot of high schools, athletics seem to be only for the kids on the sports teams. But health experts say all students need to be active. They\’re concerned about studies showing a rise in the number of cases of obesity in young people. So several high schools in Wake County are setting up their own fitness centers to help more students be physically active. The most recent opened at Enloe High School. WUNC\’s Jessica Jones reports.